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It is "pointless" to diagnose patients with dementia when there is no help available for them, leading doctors have said.

Medics accused ministers of caring more about “hitting targets” to drive up diagnosis rates than about ensuring that support was available for the most vulnerable.

The Government drive has seen a near doubling in diagnoses in the last six years,

However, the initiative has been dogged by controversy, especially over “cash for diagnoses” schemes which gave GPs bonus payments for each patient classified with dementia.

'There's no point in giving someone a label, but then not being able to provide support.'Dr Gary Wannan, chairman of the BMA's community care committee

The majority of doctors at the British Medical Association (BMA)’s annual meeting on Wednesday backed a motion which said diagnosis without support was “pointless”.

Dr Richard Vautrey, deputy chairman of the BMA GP committee, accused the Government of “a focus on counting numbers and hitting targets” instead of tackling gaps in services, which meant little help was available after diagnosis was made.

“GPs have been really frustrated that politicians appear to have been doing something, by getting GPs to tick boxes, and missing the real point which is what patients are wanting, which is fundamental support,” he said.

“We're really irritated when those services are not only not there, or seem to be disappearing, but are being undermined in many ways by various social services cuts,” he said.

David Cameron made a personal pledge to increase rates of dementia diagnosis Credit:
Paul Grover/Paul Grover

Dr Gary Wannan, chairman of the BMA's community care committee, and a psychiatrist in Kensington, Central London, said: “As a doctor you feel very responsible in giving a diagnosis, and you want to make sure in giving anyone a diagnosis, it's going to be to their benefit. There's no point in giving someone a label, but then not being able to provide support.”

The leading doctors said too many patients were being left in a state of limbo after being told they might have dementia, with long waits to see a specialist and little support from social services.

Dr Vautrey said: “You would never tolerate it in any other area of medicine. If you were to diagnose someone with cancer, you wouldn't say, 'Well, sorry, but we're not going to treat your cancer,'” he said.

Those with dementia could wait six months to see a specialist, he said, while those with suspected cancer could expect to see a specialist within a fortnight.

The doctors said they were not saying patients should not receive a diagnosis, but that medics should fight for services to be put in place so help was given.

The Prime Minister pledged that two thirds of people with dementia would have a diagnosis and support by March 2015, a target which the Government says has been met.

Latest official figures show around 435,000 people in England have a diagnosis of dementia, compared with 250,000 in 2009.

Jeremy Hughes, chief executive at Alzheimer’s Society, described the motion passed by the BMA as a “disappointing step backwards”.

He said: “There is still a desperate lack of support for people with dementia and this will only serve to make it worse by masking the need. To deny someone a diagnosis on this basis also doesn’t take away the fact they are experiencing debilitating symptoms – just without a name for them.”

He accused those behind the motion of an “overtly paternalistic approach to healthcare” which overlooked the fact that individuals wanted to make their own decisions.

Professor Alistair Burns, NHS England's National Clinical Director for Dementia, said: "Awareness of dementia is at its highest and we believe that timely diagnosis of dementia allows people to access the emotional, practical and financial support that brings.

"There are now around 435,000 people with a formal diagnosis of dementia who can benefit from post diagnostic support. We want it to be normal to talk about memory problems and to encourage people to come forward for an assessment if they or their families have concerns."